2018 Annual Anchor Award Honorees
Michael Bayley
At the helm of the world’s largest and most innovative cruise line, Michael Bayley leads a global team of more than 50,000 ship and shoreside employees, delivering memorable cruise vacations to five million international guests on its fleet of 25 ships sailing to more than 260 destinations.
As President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, Bayley is responsible for the cruise line’s entire operation, in addition to its private destinations, including Labadee, Haiti and Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas – the first in a series of private island destinations around the world known as the Perfect Day Island Collection. A key focus of his is to inspire teams to deliver the unrivaled and award-winning Royal Caribbean vacation experience of innovation and excellence.
Under Bayley’s leadership, Royal Caribbean continues to grow as the leading cruise line. Most recently, he oversaw the debut of revolutionary ships Ovation of the Seas in the Asia Pacific region, Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, both offering cruises to North American and international markets. The line has a five ships under construction and on order, including Spectrum of the Seas, the first ship of its kind specifically designed for Chinese travelers, and a brand new class of ships named Icon. Bayley is integral to the development of new innovations with each new ship introduced by the cruise line, which is a top innovator inspiring an active style of cruising and known for creating unexpected, first-at-sea experiences – from rock-climbing walls and ice-skating rinks, to surfing, skydiving and architectural concepts on its extraordinary ships.
Bayley began his career with Royal Caribbean in 1981 as an assistant purser on board the m.s. Nordic Prince. Since that time he has worked in a variety of positions throughout the cruise line’s expanding fleet, each with increasing managerial responsibility. Bayley also pioneered the concept of cruising in emerging markets across the globe. In 2008, as executive vice president of International Sales and Marketing at Royal Caribbean, he started up offices in 11 countries throughout Europe, Latin America and Asia, and was instrumental in opening and developing the China market. He became President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International in 2014.
A native of the United Kingdom, Bayley graduated in Business from the University of Bournemouth and lives in South Florida.
Roland Malins-Smith
Born in Grenada, Mr. Roland Malins-Smith was educated in Grenada, Jamaica and the UK. After working with the Caribbean Community Secretariat (Guyana) and the West Indies Shipping Corporation (Trinidad) he migrated to Florida in 1980 where he joined Oceanic Steamship Company as VP Marketing. Oceanic represented Concord Line’s Caribbean container service, and in 1982, with the merger of Concord and Nopal, Malins-Smith moved to Concord Nopal Line.
In 1986 Malins-Smith joined Tecmarine Lines as VP Marketing, subsequently Senior Vice President, where he worked closely with the owners in building a comprehensive network of Caribbean services, providing both commercial management as well as service development and operations support. He left Tecmarine in 1992 to start Seafreight Line Ltd, and Seafreight Agencies Inc.
The Seafreight group of eight (8) related companies ultimately served twenty (20) Caribbean, Central American and North Coast South American ports with six container vessels, and offered weekly services from Jacksonville and Port Everglades Florida. Annual revenues were approximately $158 million. The Seafreight companies were sold to Crowley Liner Services in October 2015.
Malins-Smith, now retired, holds a masters degree in maritime studies from the University of Wales, Cardiff (1973), and a bachelors degree in economics and business from the University of the West Indies (1970).
Rick Murrell
Mr. Rick Murrell started his career with Tropical in 1969 initially working in the Bahamas. From 1987 through to December 2017, he served as the CEO and Chairman of Tropical Shipping, which became a leading ocean carrier and logistics provider for U.S. and Canadian manufactured exports to the Bahamas and Caribbean. In 2018, Mr. Murrell moved to a new Caribbean- focused role as SVP Managing Director with Tropical’s holding company, Saltchuk, and remains Chairman of Tropical Shipping. Saltchuk provides air cargo services, USA domestic trucking, domestic logistics and ocean cargo services, international container shipping and logistics cargo services, and petroleum storage and distribution services.
Murrell was born in Kenya, East Africa, to British parents. His father had spent most of his life in Kenya, and met Murrell’s mother there (after she fled the German bombing of Britain) during World War II. He lived in Kenya up until he left for England to attend boarding school when he was 14. As a boy commuting between Africa and England, he made himself one promise: “I was going to America and become an American, because I liked the American music”, he once joked. Decades later, in 1975, Murrell made good on his promise.
In 2005, Murrell was presented with the “Golden Star of the Caribbean Award” by Caribbean Central American Action, a Washington based organization focused on the Caribbean. In 2006, Murrell was presented with the “Caribbean Hotel Association Award” for leadership of Caribbean disaster recovery efforts. Tropical Shipping with Murrell’s leadership was selected as recipient of the Florida Governors 2011 Corporate Award at the 2011 Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference for Tropical’s support in disaster recovery and preparedness. Murrell also serves as Chairman of Caribbean Central American Action, a Washington based 501(c)3, focused on Caribbean Basin economic development, and on the Executive Board of Associated Industries of Florida, headquartered in Tallahassee Florida.